Spelling and DNA, an interesting article:

[jacqui in mo]

Bad Spelling Chalked Up to Our DNA

 

11/23/2008

 

Many of us are not great spellers, and the thought of a world without spell check or Google's handy "Did you mean..." feature is enough to send some into a panic. In the past bad spelling was attributed to poor schooling and even a lack of moral fiber, but now science is offering up a new explanation. Difficulties with spelling may be rooted in your DNA, and in the way that your brain is actually wired.

 

These new scientific findings stem from research into the language disorder of dyslexia, but are beginning to prove important for the general population as well. Genes not only influence those with dyslexia, but also those without the syndrome. So if you're a bad speller, you can now blame in on your genes, or your parents since they gave you your DNA.

 

According to John Stein, Professor of Neuroscience at Oxford University Medical School, both reading and spelling require a phenomenal amount of brain power. Deciphering a sentence and all forms of the written word is the most complex tasks your brain faces. The reason behind this is that the written word is a pretty recent invention.

 

Stein says, "It was invented only 5,000 years ago. It is piggybacked on to our linguistic ability, which was invented 30,000-40,000 years ago. The consequence is that many people fail to read or spell.â€

What this means is that as humans developed written language, our brains had to adapt and upgrade, adding in reading and spelling circuits to the mix. Of course things can go wrong, such as in the case of dyslexia.

 

In the case of dyslexia, scientists stumbled on a gene that might also cause some of us to be bad spellers, but not to the extent that it's a clinical disorder such as dyslexia.

 

"Around 60 percent of the variation in the ability to spell lies in our genes," says Tony Monaco, a scientist at the Wellcome Centre Trust for Human Genetics at Oxford University. Monaco also says that genes dictate how our brains develop.

 

All of us carry a particular gene known as "KIAA0319", but 15% of the population was found in Monaco's studies to have a slightly different version than normal. The normal version of the gene helps guide brain cells into the cortex, the thinking area of the brain, when a child is developing in the womb. When the gene is different, it is not able to properly fulfill is function and some brain cellls get "lost on the journey and end up in the wrong place" which may "disrupt the processing of information."

 

However, bad spelling isn't entirely attributable to our genetic makeup. Nutrition and proper sleep are believed to contribute, as the brain needs all of the energy it can get to carry out these complex language processes.

[Once]

Thanks for posting this. Unfortunately, I have known about this gene for several years now. Several members in my family suffer from this gene disorder, both older and younger. Comforting. Now, I know I have a perfectly good reason for it. :blushing: My poor daughter, you would not believe the combinations she comes up with!

[jacqui in mo]

Yes, it's good to know there's an excuse! My dd has a hard time with spelling. I think it skipped a generation because my spelling isn't too bad, but my poor mom has some interesting spellings. Aren't we all thankful for SpellCheck!

[cathmom]

I have gotten blasted many times within the homeschooling community for saying that I believe either you can spell or you can't spell and that it can't be taught. One woman even told me that spelling can be learned - in 25 years of marriage she had finally taught her dh 3 words that he constantly misspelled! Now I have scientific proof!

[jacqui in mo]

So now I wonder about how hard to go about working on spelling. I've been slacking off on spelling tests with my 13yo dd who spells not too badly when concentrating, but who makes the oddest errors when just doing other writing. I believe you learn some spelling, otherwise none of us would be able to read & write :o). I'm thinking just going through vocabulary & Spelling Workout type books gives good exposure to spelling that the brain absorbs what it can & to stress over more than that may not be worth the time & effort. What do others think?

[abbeyej]

i would absolutely believe it. My baby sister's spelling errors and handwriting (now that one is *weird*) was indistinguishable from her birth mom's (whom she was never able to meet). Now that S is older, I think her spelling is a *bit* better than her birth mom's ever was, and I think that's due to years and years of work on my mom's part (the birth mom wasn't home schooled and tutored for years in phonics!), but still, reading her written work *looks* like her birth mom's and not like the mom/family who raised her.

 

I absolutely think that *improvement* can be made with careful tutoring. But in my experience, that's only a part of the equation -- and with spelling, maybe a pretty small part!

[homeschool2boys]

I am glad you posted this. I have always had a hard time with spelling, and have always been emberrised especially in a place like this where everything is in text.

 

Its funny, I cant spell for beans but in other ways I am way above the average person. I am good with mechanical things and art but really stink with all things spelling and grammar. Its good to know that there is a reason why I have so much trouble.